The Annual Summer Hike
by Kishiro Kitsune
Summary: Modern AU. When faced with spending her summer at her grandparents house way out in the country, Katie Holt decides to tag along with her brother and his best friend on their yearly hiking trip along a mountain trail instead, where she meets an interesting stranger and his dog. They all end up travelling together and by the end, Katie can't help but hope for something more.


[shows up 15 minutes late with Starbucks] Here I am, finally posting my entry for Kidgezine: Roads Untraveled. Seems like the perfect timing, with the recent announcement of Kidgezine 2.0! (Go check it out so far: kidgezine. tumblr. com)

**The Annual Summer Hike**

If Katie Holt was asked to make a list of her top five least favorite summer vacations, that summer would be ranked number one.

Everything about it had gone wrong from the start. Her parents were going overseas for their anniversary and, even though she was eighteen, they didn't feel comfortable with leaving her on her own for a month. Normally, that meant staying with her brother, Matt, in the apartment he shared with his best friend, Shiro, but the two of them were leaving for their annual hike along Lionrock Trail.

That left Katie with two options: either join them on their hike, or spend a month at her grandparents' house with zero access to the technology and tools she needed to work on her summer projects.

She chose the hike.

Katie grumbled to herself as she made herself comfortable at a picnic table at the first campground of their journey. Three days in and she was already done with nature and walking and the humidity and the outdoors in general. Her shower made her feel a little better as her hair hung in damp waves past her shoulders, keeping her cool even as it rapidly dried under the evening sun.

Her laptop was freshly recharged and she had a few hours of precious time to get some coding done, so she dove right into it, zoning out as her fingers flew over the keys. She barely blinked. Everything around her faded out and for a moment she could forget that she wasn't at home in her room.

A wet nose nudged at her arm and, out of habit, Katie lifted it up to allow her dog the attention she wanted. It was only when a larger and much heavier weight settled onto her lap that she remembered where she was.

Katie blinked down at black and gray fur, which was partially covered by a vest with many pockets, unsure of how to react to an unfamiliar dog making themself very comfortable on her lap. "Um, hi?"

The dog happily wiggled, turning their head to lick at her face and whine for attention.

"Aww, you're cute," Katie giggled. She had no problem gently running her hands through thick fur once the licking stopped. A collar and tags jingled around the dog's neck and she tried to turn it around for a better look at what it said, assuming there would be a name or phone number.

"Kosmo!"

The dog - apparently named Kosmo - woofed softly at the sound of his name and clumsily got out of her lap.

Katie turned to follow his path, which led to a young man with shaggy black hair. As she watched, he crouched down next to Kosmo, quietly scolding him for being rude and scaring people, to which Kosmo simply wagged his tail and tried to lick his face.

The man laughed and stood up, his expression sobering as he looked at Katie. "Hey, uh, I'm sorry about him."

Katie shook her head. "Oh no, it's fine. He's sweet."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Katie reassured him a second time before he seemed content that Kosmo hadn't gotten into too much trouble. The man gave her a hesitant smile and then patted his thigh, calling Kosmo to walk away with him.

Katie watched them go, breathing a sigh of relief once they were both out of sight.

That had been one of the most awkward conversations she had been a part of in some time, but at least it didn't last more than a few seconds. She turned back to her laptop, ready to dive back into her work, but found herself unable to get back into the groove of things. Her mind kept wandering away, back to the handsome stranger and his friendly dog.

Katie paused, her fingers hovering over the keys. Her brow furrowed as she tried to comprehend where her thought process had gone.

Handsome?

"Get it together, Katie," she mumbled to herself. "It's not like you'll ever see him again."

After that, she managed to get a little more work done before packing everything up and heading back to where Matt and Shiro had set up camp for the night. As she approached, she became aware of a third figure sitting with them.

"Katie, come meet Keith!" Shiro lifted his hand to wave her over.

So much for never seeing him again.

Because of course Shiro and Matt knew who he was. Of course they decided that inviting him to join them on their hike was the best idea ever. Of course they thought the fact that they'd just met just a while before thanks to Kosmo was the funniest thing ever.

Katie snuck glances at him throughout dinner, trying to act like she wasn't interested in the conversation he was having with Shiro. She couldn't help but be curious about what he was like, especially if they were going to be traveling together. At the same time, she knew she had a horrible poker face and if she let herself get swept away in the thoughts about how attractive he was, Matt and Shiro would pick up on it for sure and then there would be no end to the teasing. So she would sit back and observe. That was it.

Her resolve lasted throughout the night and most of the next morning, but crumbled by that afternoon when Keith fell into step next to her.

"So what kind of dog is he anyway? A husky?" Katie asked.

Keith shrugged as they both looked at Kosmo, who sniffed along the edge of the path. "My mom thinks he may be part shepherd, but we don't know for sure. I found him on this trail two years ago and we've been inseparable ever since."

Katie smiled as Kosmo padded over to her. She reached down to pat him on the head. "We have a bull terrier at home. She's a little older now, but you wouldn't think that if you knew her. She's a bundle of energy."

"The terror of the neighborhood," Matt jokingly called back to them.

Shiro shushed him, but the damage had been done. Katie stared down at the ground, reminding herself that it was a bad idea.

It wasn't the last time something like that would happen. Keith was surprisingly persistent about striking up a conversation with her, and if Katie was being honest, she liked that. He was easy to talk to and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, which only served to make him that much more attractive in her eyes.

She caught herself staring at him more than she liked. And by the knowing grin Matt threw her way, she knew he'd figured it out too. She had to make a choice; either deliberately distance herself more than she already was, or not let her rapidly developing crush keep her from making a new friend.

It took her several hours, but by the time she made a decision, Kosmo had already taken matters into his own paws. He'd wound circles around them as they hiked along the trail, guiding them closer and closer together until they were side-by-side, so close that their hands brushed together.

Katie was so startled the first time that she stumbled and would have fallen if not for Keith's swift reaction.

"Th-thank you," she whispered, feeling her cheeks burn from embarrassment. His hand felt so warm against her skin as he held her steady. It was nice.

Kosmo wagged his tail as they started walking again, still close enough that they could touch. And it was like a spell had been broken. Everything that had held her back before - all of those insignificant, silly reasons - became a distant memory. If Keith was surprised by her sudden desire to talk to him without trying to pass the conversation over to Shiro, he didn't show it.

Night fell swiftly, but for once Katie found herself unbothered by the darkness of the forest around them. The fire crackled several feet away, where Shiro and Matt were roasting marshmallows on some long sticks they found, but she and Keith were huddled together, despite the warmth in the air. They shared a pad of paper between them, playing games of tic-tac-toe to pass the time.

"Where did Kosmo go?" Katie asked without looking up.

Keith refused to be distracted. "Nearby, probably."

As if summoned by his name, Kosmo chose that moment to crash through the underbrush, proudly lugging a large tree branch, which he attempted to deposit on Keith's lap. Katie laughed so hard that she nearly fell over, earning herself eager licks all over her face from Kosmo, who took her reaction as praise.

The hike that once seemed to feel as though it would drag out forever began to pass quickly thanks to her blossoming friendship with Keith. Every day brought a new experience; a new memory.

"Wow," Katie breathed, staring out over the peaks of the tranquil mountain range. She leaned against the guard rail on the overlook, content to just watch as the fog began to clear from the valley below and the sun started to rise over the mountain.

"I thought you said you didn't like nature. You seem to be enjoying yourself."

To her credit, Katie didn't flinch as Keith approached. For once, Kosmo was nowhere to be found, probably because he was too busy begging Matt for food.

"Maybe I've gained a new appreciation for it," Katie said.

Keith hummed as he joined her against the guard rail. "I've always loved it up here. My dad used to bring me every year and we'd spend time camping. He always wanted to stay longer, but his job didn't really allow it."

"What did he do?" Katie asked, finally turning to look at him.

"He was a firefighter. Summer… summer was always a busy time for him, but he made a point to bring me out here anyway. I wish I'd told him how much that meant to me."

Past tense. Katie's heart constricted. She didn't need to ask the reason for that. "I'm sure he knew," she said gently. "That's why he came out here with you."

Keith didn't say anything else for a long time. He barely even moved when Kosmo padded over to join them, pressing his body against him. It wasn't until the sun had fully risen over the mountaintops that he pushed away from the rail and held out a hand to Katie. "Ready to go back?"

Katie smiled as she accepted his hand. "I'm ready."

The days blurred together and it felt as though one minute she was standing at the overlook, listening to Keith talk about his father, and the next they were laughing over Kosmo's antics, whether the dog was splashing through a river and ignoring all attempts to get him out, or chasing around the local wildlife.

A particularly memorable occasion had them stopping to remove the vest-like backpack that Kosmo wore, in order to properly dry it out and make sure the treats tucked away in the pockets hadn't gotten too soaked during his adventure.

"You're a menace," Keith told his dog, his voice warm with affection.

Before she knew it, that fated final day had arrived.

Cold dread settled in Katie's chest from the moment she woke that morning. It was the last day she'd get to travel with Keith. The last day she'd get to spend time with him. And though she tried her best to not let it drag her down as they walked, everyone was affected by her melancholy mood.

She tried to talk. To stay upbeat, but not even Kosmo's usual antics were enough to cheer her up. To make matters more difficult, Keith had gone quieter than usual.

It wasn't how she wanted things to end.

The hours passed too quickly and before she knew it, she could hear cars running along a main road.

Their journey was over.

There was Allura, waiting next to her blue sedan to pick them up. Shiro and Matt went ahead to greet her and start loading up their gear, while Katie lagged behind with Keith and Kosmo, but it wasn't long before Kosmo barked and ran off to greet another person, his entire body wiggling in joy as he approached a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Keith.

"I guess this is it," Katie said, her throat tight. She refused to cry. She wouldn't.

"Katie, wait."

Katie froze. Keith had reached out to take her hand, gentle enough that if she wanted to pull away, she could easily do so. She turned to face him, unsure of what he was going to say.

"I, um… I was wondering…" He paused to take a breath. "Do you want to get coffee? With me?"

"Coffee?" Katie repeated, not sure she was hearing correctly. The way he'd phrased it, it almost sounded like he was asking her on a date.

"I've heard good things about Juniberry's." Keith sounded nervous as he kept talking. "Unless you don't like coffee. We could go someplace else. Sal's? No, wait, not there. Um…"

He _was _asking her on a date.

Katie's heart skipped a beat at the realization. "I'd love coffee," she told him, interrupting his rambling. "Juniberry's sounds perfect."

Keith looked relieved. "Is Tuesday okay?"

"Nine o'clock?" Katie asked in return, unable to stop a broad smile from spreading across her face.

She had a date!

"Nine o'clock," Keith agreed. He smiled at her in return before Kosmo ran back to them, barking, and breaking up their moment.

But just like that, the melancholic atmosphere evaporated. Katie no longer felt the dread that had been plaguing her all morning. Things were looking bright.

She couldn't wait for Tuesday to arrive.


End file.
